Premise

The following treaty describes the most thorough method to brew Amanita tea to achieve the highest conversion of ibotenic acid to muscimol, through the process of decarboxylation. This method involves a slow simmered lemon-tek prepared with amanita muscaria, colloquially called "fly agaric", and its closest relatives, Amanita Regalis, Amanita Panterina ("panther caps"), and Amanita Persicina ("Royal Agarics").

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Muscimol is the primary psychoactive compound in amanita muscaria responsible for desirable amanita-intoxication, associated with drunk-like highs, euphoria, body-warmth, visual-effects and strong restorative sleep, sometimes accompanied with vivid lucid dreaming. Microdosing muscimol is associated with a range of reported & anecdotal medicinal effects that are claimed to be gained from this mushroom. 

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Ibotenic acid, on the other hand, is considered an undesirable neurotoxin, and although the human metabolism can decarboxylate a small amount of ibotenic acid, a toxic dose will cause ibotenic poisoning associated with nausea, vomiting and a range of the adverse nervous system effects including confusion, tremors and seizures. At very high doses, ibotenic poisoning can become severe enough to demand medical attention. For this reason, it is important to convert as much ibotenic acid to muscimol as possible, and this is the purpose of the long-simmered, lemon tek amanita brew described herein. 

Disclaimer

The information presented here is committed for educational & entertainment purposes, to describe this methodology with clarity. However, the reader should note this is not a scientific journal, and this information should only be considered anecdotal. We do not recommend our readers to experiment with amanita themselves, or to consume these mushrooms at home. We are absolved of any & all responsibility should our readers choose to experiment with the amanitas themselves.

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Preparation & Tools

Amanita tea can be prepared with fresh toadstools or with caps (or hats) that have been dehydrated and which are cracker dry. Amanitas that have been properly dried will have already begun to become decarboxylated, converting a large amount of the ibotenic acid that was present in the fresh mushrooms to muscimol. Some enthusiasts eat or even smoke the amanitas after they have been dried this way, however, even after proper drying, the mushrooms can contain a potentially toxic dose of ibotenic acid, especially if they are consumed in larger quantities. 

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 By brewing the amanita tea according the method described herein, most of the ibotenic acid is converted into muscimol. This is perhaps the highest level of decarboxylation that can be achieved at home, or within the herbalists kitchen, outside of laboratory conditions. Information on how to source dried amanita hats, or how to properly dry them at home, will be discussed further toward the end of this article under "Trusted Vendors" (coming soon).

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Equipment

Here is a list of kitchenware that one may need to brew amanita tea. Recommended sources to purchase any of these tools will be suggested under "Where to Buy Tools" (coming soon). 

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• A Teflon, Pyrex, or "Clearview" glass cooking pot capable of containing up to 2equal to or more than litres of liquid. Steel, iron and aluminium pots are not suitable for this kind of acidic tea. 

• A mixing spoon. 

• An electronic PH pen suitable for liquids, and the associated calibration liquids. 

• Lemon juice, or citric acid; used to lower the PH of the brew to an acidity between <2.9 to >2.7.

• Water jugs to contain pre-PH adjusted water & lemon juice.

 

How to Make Amanita Tea

Slice and dice the dried amanita hats into small pieces. Because the potency of amanitas vary somewhat from one mushroom to the next, it is suggested to mix a selection of hats together, so that the potency of the whole collection is evened out. After the hats are diced and mixed, measure out a desired weight of amanita to prepare the brew. 

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Measure out a quantity of water, or lemon juice, that is expected to more than sufficiently cover the mushroom hats. Some liquid will inevitably boil away during the long-simmer, so it will be necessary to periodically top up the pot.  Correct the PH of this liquid to between 2.7 & 2.9. When using water, lemon juice can be added to lower the PH. 

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Pour the prepared water-lemon solution over the amanita hats in a cooking pot until the mushrooms are covered, forming a soupy liquid. Heat the mixture to a gentle simmer at a temperature equal to or slightly less than 100 degrees C. Once the brew has begun to a simmer, test the PH again to ensure it falls into the correct range of 2.7 to 2.9, and adjust it if needed. Cover the pot with a lid so that less liquid is lost by evaporation, and be careful not to boil your brew.

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Check on the simmering brew periodically, stir it, and monitor the temperature and PH. After time, the brew maker will build an intuition for how often one should check upon their brew. 

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After the three hour simmer is complete, the brew should be thoroughly decarboxylated and be ready to consume. Filter and whisk the resulting amanita tea to improve the consistency. A sieve or coffee filter can be used to filter the tea, and a whisk or coffee frothier may be used to improve the consistency. 

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How to Consume Amanita Tea

The potency of amanita tea will depend upon the weight of mushrooms used and the final volume of prepared tea. The brews potency is calculated by simply dividing the weight of prepared mushrooms by the volume of brewed tea. So for example, if one has brewed 10 grams of amanita mushroom into 500ml of brewed amanita tea, then the dose will be 1 gram/10ml.

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The dose one may wish to consume is rather subjective, and depends on what one wishes to gain from from the amanitas, the initial potency of the mushrooms, as well as their personal reactions to the brew. 

It is recommended that anybody who is new to the amanita should start on a very small dose, consuming no more than perhaps a gram or two in a single day. Should the brew-maker desire greater potency, then they should gradually increase the doses they consume.
n general, 1-3 grams is considered a micro dose, while more than 5 grams is considered a recreational dose. Some enthusiasts reportedly consume up to more than 20 grams in a single day, which is considered a very large dose indeed!

Because the potency of the mushrooms can vary significantly, it is recommended to start slow whenever working with a new batch of amanita, until their vigour is realised. 

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Add the amanita tea to herbal teas, soups or stews 

The texture and taste of amanita tea is not to every bodies liking, so it can be desirable to mix a desired dose of amanita brew into a larger volume of conventional herbal tea. If the desired dose is too large for practical dilution into a cup of herbal tea, then it can be added to a soup, stew, or any other type of food. This will radically dilute the taste and texture of the amanita brew, so that it can be consumed in a fashion that is most palatable. 

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How to Store Amanita Tea

After the amanita tea has cooled down, it can be stored in a refrigerator and kept for up to a few days. Once refrigerated, the tea will take on a slightly more gelatinous texture. Should the tea not be consumed within a couple of days of refrigeration then it will become necessary to freeze the brew for preservation. 

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When freezing amanita tea, the brew-maker should evenly distribute their tea into a ice tray, ensuring that each resulting ice cube will be equal in size. This allows the brew-maker to easily access single or multiple cubes for use without retrieving the entire brew. These cubes can be added to a herbal tea or stew as desired. 

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For example, if the brew-maker is equipped with a 10 slot ice cube tray, and 500ml of amanita tea prepared from 10 grams of amanita mushroom, then each ice cube would measure 50ml of tea and 1 gram of amanita. 
For even greater precision, a pipette, dropper, or small volumetric test-tube can be used to measure out a quantity for each ice cube.